


Hidden Message

by LaughingLoudly



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Books, Library AU, M/M, Notes, One Shot, Tumblr Prompt, got bored, just kinda wrote it, kiss, one direction - Freeform, ziall
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-28
Updated: 2014-12-28
Packaged: 2018-03-04 00:53:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2903324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaughingLoudly/pseuds/LaughingLoudly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tumblr prompt that I copied</p><p>LIBRARY AU WHERE NIALL COMES TO THIS COZY LITTLE CORNER IN THE LIBRARY AND LOOKS FOR BOOKS HE HASNT READ YET AND WHILST FLIPPING THROUGH THE PAGES OF A THICK BOOK HE FINDS SOMEONES NUMBER SCRAWLED INTO THE TOP LEFT CORNER OF A PAGE WITH A LITTLE SMILEY FACE AND, BEING CURIOUS NIALL CALLS THE NUMBER AND THE GUY WHO PICKS UP ASKS HIM WHO HE IS AND NIALL SAYS THAT HIS NUMBER WAS IN A BOOK IN THE LIBRARY AND THE GUY LAUGHS AND TELLS HIM THAT HE WROTE THAT FOR A BOY WHEN HE WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL AND THEY TALK AND LAUGH AND THE GUY, ZAYN, HIS NAME IS ZAYN, SAYS THAT HE’D LOVE TO MEET NIALL SOMETIME SO THEY ARRANGE A CUTE LITTLE DATE AND NIALL AGREES TO BRING THE BOOK JUST TO SHOW HIM AND WHEN NIALL SEES ZAYN FOR THE FIRST TIME HES AWESTRUCK THAT A BOY LIKE HIM WOULD WILLINGLY PUT HIS NUMBER OUT THERE AND THEY TALK AND LAUGH AND WHEN IT’S TIME TO GO ZAYN GIVES NIALL A LITTLE KISS ON THE CHEEK SOFT ENOUGH THAT IT MAKES NIALL WONDER WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF HE DIDNT CALL THE NUMBER</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hidden Message

Niall's feet were getting cold and his fingers were starting to go numb, but he held on to the book that had captured his attention for over an hour now, the words were flowing through his mind moving and shaping into images.

He didn't need much to lose himself in the comforting pages of a book, he loved them, they never lied or looked at him strangely, they were just there.

He had been coming to the library since he was nine years old and it became his sanctuary. A word which here means a small safe place in a troubling world. He enjoyed himself on his little island made of books and cushions.

Niall couldn't ignore his fingers any longer his book falling out of his hands his bum was also asleep now so that meant completely rearranging his little makeshift nest, he let his eyes fall of the page and was immediately reminded of where he was and how much time had past. The sky had darkened the clouds heavy with rain, Niall just sighed and looked at his page number closing the book and making a little bed of his cushions.

He had done this so many times that he already made a pattern of all the pillows and knew how they would comfort his sleeping bum the best. This might have looked weird to people who visited the library once a year but the regulars kind of knew Niall and his castle of books around him. He didn't like the stares he got so moved to this little corner.

As soon as he finished he sat back down ready to drown himself with the story again when he saw the writing on top of the page. He frowned it wondering how long it had been in there.

This book had been a little hidden and Niall had found it behind a corner where all the art books stood. The person who last read it must have hidden it or something. He looked at it, seeing the number scrawled it in pencil. It had faded a bit the finely ground graphite and clay powders that made up the lead of a pencil had robbed off. The number was obviously a phone number and a little twitch of curiosity sparked in Niall. He wanted to know whose number it was. Should he call it? Maybe not, curiosity did kill the cat. He looked at the paper staring at the number on it as if they would start moving into a face showing him who the person was, but no such thing happened. Sorrows for later he told himself. But as he started the reading again he could feel his eyes being drawn back to it. He was extremely curious. He couldn't focus anymore. Who would even read a book like this? There are a lot more interesting books here.

He sighed knowing he probably wouldn't read anymore. He stood up and left his little sanctuary; Beatrice, the library lady, knew Niall very well and always left it like that knowing he'd be back tomorrow. He had taken out his phone and looked at the time. It was almost eight and the library closed at eight so he grabbed his book and made his way home just as the rain began to fall.

His mother had already made dinner and saved the leftovers for Niall him being late as usual.

"How was it?" His mother asked. "Find any good books?"

"Yeah one had an unexpected surprised that I think I like, I don't know yet." he said thinking about the number.

He sighed and made his way to kitchen feeling his stomach growling at him. He heated the spaghetti back up watching as the numbers on the microwave made their way to zero. He watched the spaghetti turn around and around and wondered how long it would take him to break and call.

It took exactly one hour, thirty-three minutes and five seconds. He had been trying to read, but his focus kept going to the trouser that he had thrown on the floor when he changed into his sleeping attire. His IPhone was playing a random song he once heard in a TV show but not even that kept his attention.

He got out of his bed and grabbed his phone out of his little music player and marched back to his bed sitting down and wondering for the 100th time who would pick up. He placed the book in front of him and took his phone dialing. He held it to his ear as his heartbeat picked up.

 

Beep

 

Beep

 

Beep

 

“Hello?”

Niall’s heart skipped a beat at the voice that answered the call. It was a male and he had a rather nice voice even if Niall only heard it over the phone.

"Hi." he said and let out the breath he had been holding. "I'm Niall." 

" I'm Zayn." he said slowly "why are you calling me?" 

"I found your number on a library book."

Zayn was silent for a minute and then started laughing. His laugh immediately made Niall smile too. He had such a pretty laugh.

"Oh really? That's been a while hasn't it, I think I put it in there because of a boy that I knew would read it and yeah I liked him. Old times."

"How old?" Niall asked Zayn could be over 25 his voice sounded older than he was.

"My last year of high school so almost two years ago.", He said.

"That makes you 20?" he asked Zayn.

"Yeah I'm 20 how old are you?" He asked wonder clear in his voice.

"I'm 17." He said, "I'm in my last year." 

"I'm in college now, I kind of miss high school,” he said.

"What are you studying?" Niall asked actually wanting to know and to keep conversation going.

"I study art." Zayn said.

"Cool, so you're an artist. What is your favorite subject?" Niall asked. 

“I love painting, I'd do it every day if the paint wasn't so bad to get out from under my nails." 

"Is it really that hard get to get out?" Niall asked only having ever painted with water based paint.

"Yeah it just sticks there." He said and sighed “So why on earth would you call a number that you found in library book?” Zayn asked him.

Niall blanked, why had he called? He was just curios and he could help himself. Might have hoped to make a friend.

"I was just curious who would put their number in a book, what sort of person did that?" 

"And what sort a person am I?" Zayn mumbled into the phone voice lowering.

"An intriguing one." He said slowly.

A moment passed where Niall could only hear the breath over the phone. Zayn didn't really say anything about it. Then he could hear rustling in the background. 

“No one ever thought I was intriguing." Zayn said while Niall could hear that he was doing something, but he didn't want to ask.

“Well you are to me.” He said, "You're a bit of a mystery as well."

"Well that I have heard before." Zayn said a smirk noticeable in his voice.

"Can I ask you something?" Niall said not knowing if he could.

"Sure."

"The boy you tried to reach with this book."

"Yes?" Zayn said encouragingly.

"Was he your friend or more? Boyfriend maybe." Niall suggested.

"He never was." he sighed, "It just stayed with pinning after him."

"Oh" Niall said not know what else to say.

The silence held on for a while when Zayn asked what Niall was doing.

"Nothing just lying in bed, talking to you." Niall said lying down looking outside his window. The moon looked really pretty it illuminate the entire garden. “Looking at the moon, can you see it?” Niall asked him.

"Yeah, it's pretty, don't you think?"

"Really pretty." Niall sighed and felt sleep coming. He sat up straight not wanting to fall asleep "What do you see? Describe the scene."

Zayn giggled at the command. "As I gaze out the window, I see the shadows of the night, consuming all except the brilliant moon."

Niall smiled "Poetic."

Zayn grinned "Thanks." he could hear him lick his lips "Can I ask you where you're from because I think we might live close together."

"I live in Cheshire."

"I do too.", Zayn said, "I'd like to meet you one day."

"Me too, you seem nice." 

"Let's meet up." Zayn said excitedly "In the place where they sell those yummy cookies with their coffee, I forgot the name." he mumbled.

"Yeah I know the place it opened up not so long ago."

“Yeah, let's meet up there tomorrow.” Zayn sounded really excited, but Niall couldn't match his enthusiasm. He had school tomorrow.

"Can't go, I’ve got school tomorrow." Niall said feeling like he just killed any chance of seeing Zayn.

"That's okay, I'll come and get you." He should know where the school was it being the only high school in town.

"Okay, what do you look like?" 

"I'm not that tall, I have dark hair and will wear a black leather vest, probably black jeans too." 

"Okay I'm blond.", Niall said not know what he could add. "I'll be wearing black jeans and a grey sweater probably."

"Okay great I'll see you tomorrow then." 

“Okay, I'll talk to you tomorrow.” Niall said not sure if he wanted to stop the phone call.

"I'm glad you called me." Zayn said, "It's nice to meet someone new."

"I'm glad I did too." Niall said.

"Hey Niall can you tell me your eye color?"

"They're blue.", Niall said quietly.

"Blue eyes..." Zayn said thoughtful.

"Yeah ... Blue..." And that's the moment Niall’s phone decides to die. The phone vibrates and goes out and Niall is left looking stupid at the device that just cut of an important conversation.

“Shit.” He said into the empty room. “I didn't say goodbye.”

He quickly got of his bed and grabbed his charger, connecting it immediately. The five minutes it took for the goddamn phone to light up again were almost an eternity. Every second crawled by and Niall was almost convinced his phone was in a coma when it lit up the apple logo appearing.

He had a text from an unknown number. 

'Sorry I couldn't say goodbye :( but I'll text it, so: Bye Niall sweet dreams x' 

He send an X. Did the X mean anything. Should he send one back? He still doesn't know how Zayn looks like, maybe he's an old man. No he isn't, he's still in school. Zayn was a lovely art student that just send Niall a text with an X.

Niall started typing a reply wanting to say goodnight as well.

'Sorry my phone died on me so I had to charge it. Goodnight Zayn, have sweet dreams as well. x'

Niall really wanted Zayn to be as nice as he sounded over the phone. He tried to picture the boy, but he couldn't he would never see the real Zayn, not until tomorrow at least.

He fell asleep with for once not a book on his stomach, but thoughts of Zayn flying through his head. He hoped tomorrow would go as well as today went.

 

Niall was a big ball of nerves all day. He didn't eat he didn't even read and he certainly didn't pay attention to the geometry that was being written on the blackboard. He could only repeat whatever he still remembered of the phone conversation last night and wonder how his day would go.

When school ended and everyone raced for the door it started raining, not much, but yeah he'd get wet if he went outside. But he didn't care much he had a-.

Did he have a date with Zayn or a meeting? That sounded too formal. Stop thinking and just look if you can spot him. As more and more people left the school ground he could see a black motorcycle standing at the very front of the school building and there was what Niall would call a Gucci model sitting on top it scanning the crowd. He was wearing black jeans with black Dr. marten boots a red plaid shirt with a leather vest. Niall could really see his face, but what he could see was definitely Gucci material.

Okay focus Niall. What did Zayn said he was going to wear? Black jeans and a leather vest. Niall's eyes went up to the Gucci model and stared a little unbelievingly. That couldn't be Zayn he's to pretty Niall would fall like a rock if that was Zayn. He'd just have to smile and Niall would do his bidding.

He got out his phone just as biker boy looked over at him he looked for Zayn in his contacts and called wondering if Mr. Gucci would pick up. Mr. Gucci got up pulling out his phone and said “Hello.” into Niall's ear.

“Hi” Niall said a little breathily. “Are you a professional model or am I looking at a weird coincidence that the guy just answered the phone at the same time?”

“Well, I don't know. Where are you?”

“To your left.” Niall said cheeks a little red at his outburst.

The model turned to his left and when their eyes met Niall's heartbeat stopped and like an idiot started waving over excitedly. He could hear Zayn's laugh now and not over the phone because he had moved closer and had ended their call.

“Do you really think I look like a model?” He asked with a smile on his face.

“Well you're not ugly that’s for sure.”

“Thank you Blondie _,_ you're quite cute yourself.” Zayn said.

“Thanks.” He muttered but all Niall could see were the girls looking at Zayn and trying to make eye contact.

As they passed Niall felt the green monster of jealousy rise in his stomach, showing his ugly head. He wanted to leave, to go to the library and read, hide out in his little sanctuary.

If Niall had looked back at Zayn and had not been staring at his feet he would have seen that the Gucci model took no interest in the girls throwing flirty smiles at him. He had only eyes for the adorable boy with his cheeks red standing in front of him.

It started to rain harder and Zayn shiver with cold taking Niall's hand leading him to his motorcycle.

“Here, to keep you pretty face safe.” He said and handed Niall a helmet.

Niall took it and swung his leg over the vehicle sitting behind Zayn and shyly holding on to his vest.

“You will need to hold on a little tighter.” Zayn said, as he placed his own hands on top of Niall's and moved them around his waist and made Niall grab his leather jacket.

“Much better.” He said and started the motorcycle peeling out. With the building speed Niall's grip grew tighter, afraid he'd fall of. He buries his head in Zayn's back, not that it helped much. He keeps picturing the way he would fly through the air, but then the smell of Zayn catches him of guard. He breathes in and feels his heartbeat slow. He doesn't know why or how, but Zayn’s perfume keeps him from imagining ten different deaths for both of them. His eyes close and his hands move a little imagining what being with someone like Zayn would be like…

He snaps out of the thought as they stop at the little coffee shop, his thought being forced back and his arms letting Zayn go.

They hurry inside and look around for a table that's still free, and there in the very back there are two chairs a couch connected to the wall and a free table. As they head over Niall can feel eyes on his back. He can feel the people looking at both of them, but he tries to ignore them and sits down, pulling his sweater off and wanting to let to dry he placed it on the heater that was conveniently next to them.

“So.” Niall said looking around awkwardly not wanting Zayn to lose interest in him. “How does a guy like you pine and not get his man?”

Zayn looked at the table his cheeks dusted pink, “I don’t know he just didn’t like me I guess.”

“But how? You look perfect.” Niall said almost shouting it but restraining at the last moment.

“You think I look perfect?” Zayn asked him looking over at him through his eyelashes.

Niall mumbled a bit, it was his turn to have pink cheeks. “Well you are not hard on the eyes and you, well I already told you didn’t I?” He asked Zayn.

“What did you tell me?”

“That you looked like a Gucci model.” Niall said.

“Thanks Niall, but I don’t think a scrawny 17 year old Zayn would have looked like this or like a Gucci model as you put it.” Smiling sadly

“I doubt that to be honest.” Niall said looking into Zayn’s brown eyes. He didn’t move away and it was like Zayn’s eyes were magnets and made Niall hover closer and closer.

“What can I get you guys?” the waitress said announcing her arrival startling both of them and making Niall bluster and mumbled.

“Well I would- Zayn do you, coffee, um no I- what?”

“A hot coffee black.” Zayn said with a smile “and Niall you look like a hot coco kind of person. Is that okay for you, warm chocolate milk?”

Niall could only nod at Zayn as the waitress wrote down their orders and left again.

“So show me the book that made you call me.” Zayn said eyes lighting up with interest and curiosity.

“Oh yeah the book.” Niall said and rummaged around in his school bag. “Here it is.” he said and pulled it out giving it to Zayn.

He stared at the cover a second. “We were studying this in English so I was sure he would come and get it.” He flipped through the pages and stopped at the place where the number was written. “Do you have an eraser? I need this to go.” He said.

“Why?” Niall asked.

“I got what I wanted from it.”

Niall didn’t know how to interpret that but gave Zayn what he asked for and watched as he whipped the numbers away from the page. Like it never existed.

“So tell me about yourself.” Zayn told Niall and looked at him.

“Well uh, I love football, I suck at playing it myself but I love watching it and going to cheer on my team.” He said and kept talking animatedly only stopping to sip his hot chocolate. He entertained Zayn with the history over every player of Derby and The Gucci model listened very attentively, asking question and when Niall asked him what his favorite team was he said.

“I don’t know, not a big fan of the sport.”

Niall gaped “Why didn’t you say something I would have rambled on about it.”

“I like you voice and you enthusiasm so didn’t stop you.” Zayn said his hand supporting his head and the other holding the now empty cup of coffee. “You’re really cute.”

Niall blush furiously at that and gulped down the rest of now cold hot chocolate. He didn’t know how to react to that. He sighed a little placing the cup on the table, their hands 2 inches apart. And just when Niall thought about Zayn touching his he did.

Warm, Zayn’s hand is so warm. Niall didn’t think and let his need take over. He delicately move he hand so it palm up, letting there fingers explore and touch the others hand.

“I’ll go pay.” Zayn said immediately and stood up letting a shocked Niall sitting there.

He would still feel the burn of his hand against Zayn, could still feel the fingerprints tracing little patterns on his palm. Why did they have to leave?

“Let’s go.” Zayn said and took his leather vest pulling it on. Niall quickly got up to, slinging the bag pack over his shoulder and following Zayn out book still in hand.

“I’ll take you home.” He said and started the motor and threw Niall the helmet.

Niall put it on and pushed the book back in his bag pack. It had stopped raining but the sky still looked gray. “Okay.”

He quietly sat down behind Zayn holding on to him and trying not to feel bad about how quickly this thing ended. He didn’t want to leave Zayn so soon he wanted to look at the man that had so quickly appeared and would probably disappear just as fast.

Niall sighed and let his arms circle around the waist of Zayn, hugging him but making it look like he was just holding on to Zayn.

Niall told Zayn the way to his house when they were waiting at a red traffic light. He still smelled the perfume of Zayn but it didn’t give him the comfort it did before, it just stung.

“We’re here.” Zayn said as he stopped the motor and let Niall get off, getting of to and pulling of his helmet.

“Niall.” He said and took his hand pulling him toward him “I had a good time.” he said playing with Niall's fingers.

“Me too.” Niall said trying to stay as still as possible. Was this real life? Was Zayn really holding his hand? He had probably misread the situation when they left.

“I’d love to see you again. On a proper date if you want to.” He said and started leaning in closer to Niall kissing the corner of his mouth.

Niall couldn’t move and he just stared at Zayn as he let go of Niall’s hand.

“I'd love too.” He said breathily and smiled at Zayn as he mounted the bike and waved at Zayn, his cheeks burning and wondering what would have happened if he hadn't called Zayn.


End file.
